This relaxation script is to help you deal with seasonal affective disorder or seasonal blues. This script will review some quick ways to help improve your mood naturally, and will include a guided imagery visualization exercise that will help you feel more positive.
Begin by finding a comfortable position. Close your eyes if you want to, or focus your gaze on one spot in the room.
Take a few deep breaths to start to slow your breathing and begin the relaxation process.
Breathe in…and out…
In…and out…
In…out…
Keep breathing slowly like this, allowing your body to relax a little more with each breath.
To deal with seasonal affective disorder, or even just seasonal blues, here are a few ways to improve your mood. Tips for dealing with seasonal affective disorder:
First seasonal affective disorder tip: get regular exercise. Vigorous exercise is best. Try to do some walking or other exercises each day, even if only for a few minutes.
Second seasonal affective disorder tip make sure you are exposed to full spectrum light every day. Sunlight is ideal, but if this is not possible, a special light for treating seasonal affective disorder, also called a SAD lamp, can help.
Third seasonal affective disorder tip get proper nutrition. Seasonal affective disorder or seasonal blues can lead to cravings for unhealthy foods that actually worsen the mood. Try to increase your intake of fruits, vegetables, protein, and water for optimal mood and energy.
Finally, use relaxation techniques every day to improve your mood and decrease stress. Let’s do a relaxation exercise now.
Focus for a few moments on counting. Start at 20, imagining that the number 20 represents how you feel right now, and zero represents complete relaxation. Begin counting down from 20 to zero, slowly, counting in time with each breath out.
20…
19…
18…
Keep counting slowly with each breath out…
Allow yourself to relax more and more with each number…
Letting your muscles relax…
Allowing your mind to become calm…
Releasing tension…
Keep counting…
Relaxing…
(Pause)
Keep counting until you reach zero…becoming deeply relaxed and calm…
(Pause)
Now imagine that you are surrounded by light. Glowing…soft…relaxing light.
It is almost as if you are glowing. This light represents safety, calm, and relaxation. The light removes all stress, tension, worries, and problems.
Picture in your mind being surrounded by light. Feel how relaxed, calm, and secure you feel as this calming light surrounds you.
The light is like a shield, deflecting anything that is not good. Imagine that you are surrounded by light and so very calm and relaxed.
Surrounded by light from your head to your feet…
Focus your attention on your feet…feeling how relaxed and maybe even tingly your feet feel. Picture that your feet are surrounded by light…as are your ankles…let your ankles be loose and relaxed.
Feel your lower legs relaxing, surrounded by light…soft…heavy…relaxed. Your upper legs are relaxed and surrounded by light too…very warm and relaxed.
Turn your attention now to your hands…feel the relaxation there as your hands become very relaxed…limp…heavy…along with your wrists, lower arms…and upper arms…all surrounded by calming, relaxing light.
Feel the relaxation in the core of your body…starting at your stomach…and flowing outward…feel the relaxation flowing from the center of your body, out to your back…chest…hips…feel the relaxation filling your body. Notice that your body is enclosed in light as well.
Allow the relaxation to continue to flow through your body, upward to your neck and shoulders…all the way to the top of your head.
Feel your face relaxing…limp and relaxed…calm…and feel the relaxation and light surrounding your head and face, your whole body…
You are surrounded from head to toe in brilliant light….shielded from any worries or troubles.
Relax…. basking in beautiful, relaxing light.
(Pause)
Notice that there might still be some areas of tension in your body…some worries or stress or negativity remaining in your mind. You might even be able to picture these areas of tension as dark. See the dark tension being drawn out of your body by the light. Feel the worries and stress leaving your body and mind.
The light is like a magnet, drawing out the dark tension, out of your body and away…once the tension has left your body it is repelled by the light, which works as a shield, protecting you from anything that is not good.
The light also works as a magnet for good, peaceful thoughts…attracting relaxation to you.
Feel the light drawing away tension, and bringing forth relaxation…filling you with feelings of joy, peace, and contentment while helping you to feel even more relaxed.
You are so calm….. so relaxed…. peaceful…. relaxed.
(Pause)
Imagine a feeling of peace…contentment…happiness…
Picture this feeling, as if it is a warm liquid. Imagine that the liquid can fill your body, pouring in through the top of your head…so warm and pleasant.
Imagine this liquid filling your body…being poured down, filling up your feet…then your legs….rising higher…to your knees….to your hips…
Feel the warmth filling the core of your body…up to your stomach….chest….all the way to your shoulders…pouring down to your hands and filling your arms…up to your elbows….to your upper arms….
Feel the warmth filling your neck and your head…filling your whole body with feelings of warmth and happiness and peace.
Feel an even greater warmth beginning at the center of your stomach and radiating outward…as if the sun is shining inside you.
Let this feeling of warmth and peace grow…experiencing a feeling of happiness inside.
Feel the warmth growing…growing…until joy is radiating from you, as if your whole body is shining, glowing…radiating joy and happiness.
Inside you feel full, solid…filled with contentment.
(Pause)
Allow the feelings of relaxation, peace, and happiness to fill you completely. Remember these pleasant feelings…so you can create them again every day to improve your mood and deal with seasonal affective disorder.
You can create feelings of contentment and happiness each day. Keep these feelings with you over the hours ahead.
As you complete this relaxation exercise, I will count to five. When I reach five you will be fully awake and alert, feeling calm, relaxed, and content.
One…
Two…
Three…
Four…
Five…
Return from Dealing with Seasonal Affective Disorder to Relaxation Scripts
